ARE WE KNOWN BY OUR REPUTATION OR OUR FRAGRANCE?

OCTOBER 20, 2014

There was a comedy show with a familiar theme song that you will remember if you remember the show.  The show was Cheers and the theme song’s lyrics were:

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

Although these words were found true, it was also true that each one of the characters, although known by their names, were also known by their reputation and character. 

Life for us who aren’t actors is no different.  We each have a reputation that we tend to live up to.  

We have a reputation in our home, in the workplace, in our church and in our inner circle and each of our reputations may be different in each of our environments.

Our reputations (yes reputations plural) may be different in each of our environments.  We don’t act the same way at home as we do at work or as we do at church because for some reason we become different people with different reputations for different reasons.  Regard-less of the environment, we must ask ourselves are we in character? or out of character?

Our reputation whether good or bad, honorable or dishonorable, highly regarded or disre-garded or one of repute or ill repute is something that follows us all of our lives and sadly, we get labeled by our reputation instead of our fragrance.  A reputation can be a good thing but character is better.  John Wooden said “your reputation is who people think you are your character is who you really are.”  So who are we really?    What is our reputation?  What is your reputation?  It is our reputation that is what people will remember when we leave the room or is it our fragrance?

I’ll be honest with you; I’ve left a room where people were made aware of my reputation.  I’m a no nonsense person when it comes to advocating and fighting for those who don’t have a voice or who have been done an injustice and I’ve became known as an advocate and fighter.  I have also BTT (Before the transformation) had a reputation of being pig headed and strong willed.

Over the years as my relationship with CHRIST has grown and HIS work in my life has me leaving something different behind. I don’t leave the stench of having to have the last say, or being right or pride; all that has dissipated.  I now, because of GOD’s handiwork, leave something completely different behind.  I’ve been touched by the MASTER and because of HIS grace there is sweet fragrance that is left behind.  Not because of me but because of HIM in me.   But there are times that I miss the mark like everyone else.  I 'm still a work in progress.

We are to be the fragrance that is spoken of in the Bible:

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 but thanks are to GOD, who in CHRIST always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads, the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of CHRIST to GOD among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

It is said that humans can distinguish over 10,000 different smells.  But as CHRISTIANS we’re only interested in one aroma that is given off to those that we come in contact with.  We’ve been handpicked, saved, sanctified and set apart to spread the fragrance of life.  We are chosen to be the sweet aroma that moves among the lost and brokenhearted for HIS name sake.   And make no mistake this aroma has nothing to do with reputation.

My reputation is meaningless, but the character of who I represent and the aroma dispelled from my life, my service, and my works which remains in the environment long after I’ve left is because of HIS transforming power in my life.  It's not the person that shines, it's life changing power of GOD that sets us apart.

Living in this world today reputations are over rated.  The current situations of this world are in need of the spreading the knowledge of who CHRIST is.  Some will appreciate the message that we spread while others won’t.  Some will like us for what we’ve shared while others will hate us.  Some may be drawn to us while others may reject us.  Some may draw near to us while others will run from us.  

Our purpose and task at hand is to spread the aroma and the message so we must be reminded that we have no control over how or if the people receive it.  At the end of the day all we have to do is live out the message.

To be associated with that amazing scent always wearing that same signature scent so when we leave an environment the people will get a whiff of the fragrance of CHRIST left behind is key in the times we’re living in.  Our natural sense of smell is powerful so why not leave an aroma be-hind that can cause others to experience the unconditional love of CHRIST.

When you leave an environment what do people remember about you the most?  Your reputation or your fragrance?  That’s a lot for all of us to think about.

GOD BLESS

SEPARATION ANXIETY

10/13/14

Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g. a parent, grandparents, or siblings).

In April, 1989 my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her lungs and lymph nodes.  I was 3,000 miles away and was trying to do my part as the oldest daughter I felt compelled to do as much as I could.  Within a year, I traveled to Ohio 3 times, every 3 months and the final trip was April, 1990 my mother’s funeral.   When my mother was critically ill I found I needed to talk to someone.  It was a hard to do but I began see a psychologist and he asked me “what was going on in my life”? I quickly told him about my mother.  And for the visits that followed, every time he mentioned my mother I began crying, she was alive, and I was grieving before we even knew what GOD’s plan was for her life.  I remember the counselor saying I was having separation anxiety.  My mother and I wasn’t as close as she was with my younger sister, I wasn’t her favorite and I had been on my own since I was 16 and yet I felt like something was being torn away from me.  

Anytime we’re separated from someone by choice or by circumstance, it’s agonizing.  The pain is relentless.  Think back at a time that you were separated from someone you loved.  My memory is as if it was yesterday.  The pain was so deep that I couldn’t breathe.  It’s as though my life had been sucked right out of me.  Does this bring back memories for you?  Do you remember how you felt?

Sometimes we step outside the parameters of our relationship with GOD.  We push the envelope.  We know in our heart where we’re to be, what we’re to do, what we’re to say, how we’re to act, the character that HE expects of us, the vocation that HE wants for us, yet we cause that separation between us and GOD.  And anyone who truly knows the depth of GOD’s love and the sacrifice that HE gave for us, has said yes to HIM and has developed a relationship with HIM knows that any separation from GOD or perceived distancing  causes separation anxiety at its highest point.

Even when we’ve stayed inside the boundaries and are on point, on track and are following the steps that have been ordered, the slightest separation or perceived distancing from GOD is unbearable.  About 13 years ago an incident happened at work that caused me to leave the premises in a fragile state.  I was broken and all I knew is I needed to hear from GOD.  I needed to feel HIS presence.  I went to the park where I had gone so many times to commune with HIM, and to be in total fellowship with HIM as I had done so many times before.  It was one of the places where I found peace and comfort in the arms of my FATHER and it kept me going.  I’d sat on top of the park bench for hours waiting to hear from GOD, waiting for that shroud of peace and comfort that I desperately needed but it didn’t come.  I was crying and waiting and waiting and crying and I felt I was the only one left on the planet and no one but GOD understood me and the situation at hand.  Some would say I was being persecuted on the job, I wouldn’t say persecuted, but I will say the pressure of what was going on at the job was unbearable.  And here I was waiting for GOD to speak to me, to rescue me, to pull me up out of the pit that I was sinking into, but HE never answered. 

Day after day after day I’d go to a hill, park my car, look out over the city, pray, cry and wait for GOD, and I was steadily asking HIM where are YOU?  Speak to me.  I felt hopeless, lifeless and was growing faint in my faith.  Running on in this race wasn’t in my vocabulary nor my heart, I was hurting not because of the trial I was going through but because I had separation anxiety.  I was being temporary separated from GOD and all I knew was this had to be temporal because if it lasted for more than a season, I wouldn’t make it.  I had just started growing in my faith; I was coming to know GOD and not just knowing about HIM.  I liked the feeling of seeking HIM, serving HIM, having HIM use me for HIS glory and to touch lives.  But where was HE?

I was nowhere near where I am in CHRIST today and this was a painful test.  I went to HIM non-stop asking HIM to show me HIS presence.  And then it happened that warmth, joy, the touch and the hand of GOD that I had longed to feel was there and joy filled my heart in the crevices that had been broken.  

I think sometimes we get caught up in our circumstances, in our storms and we become paralysed and forget that HE is with us in the midst of it all and we let the paralysis turn into fear and the fear puts a distance between GOD and us and that’s when we feel that sense of separation.  The distance is quickly resolved when we realize we are in the palm of HIS hands always and that HE’s never left us. 

If you’ve felt separated from GOD let me tell you, there’s no such thing.  There’s no reality in this statement because NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.  Romans 8:35,37-39.  35 Can anything ever separate us from CHRIST’s love? Does it mean HE no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ” ^[a]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through CHRIST who loved us.  ³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from GOD’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, ^[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from GOD’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of GOD that is revealed in CHRIST JESUS our LORD.

Be anxious for nothing, HE IS WITH YOU!

"Can You Hear Me Now"?

September 25, 2014

For many years we saw this thin man wearing glasses holding a cell phone in his hands on one of the most memorable commercials ever and the words that stood out and set this cell phone commercial apart from others were, “Can you hear me now?”

Everyday GOD is constantly trying to connect with us.  But there are little or no bars left.  There’s no signal, no connection.  The connection problem is never on GOD’s end but always on ours.  Many of us long to hear GOD speak to us, yet we spend more time waiting to hear than we do trying to clear the disconnect,  faulty lines or finding out why we keep getting dropped calls.

Dropped calls are a frequent occurrence so let’s examine this first.  A cellular network is composed of many different cellular towers that your phone communicates with in order to make a phone call. Your phone automatically connects to the nearest tower when you're making a call and continues to communicate with that tower as long as it remains the closest one in range.  If you get out of range that’s when you get a dropped call or your communication is interrupted.

Our heavenly network is composed of several communication towers that we believers can communicate with in order to make the communication or receive the communication.  Our towers are-THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY GHOST.  We can automatically connect to the nearest tower to make or receive communication and will continue to connect as long as we remain to the closest tower in range.  If we’re caught up on the daily humdrum of life, swept away by our pressing circumstances or distracted by the things of the world that peek our interest and not stay focused on GOD and the things of GOD, then we’re more likely to move out of the range of GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT causing our call to drop, and our communication to stop.

We’ve all experienced dropped calls while using our cell phone which is due to extreme cell traffic on either one of the towers, glitches in the backend software, power outages, and more. But when GOD is trying to communicate with us none of these issues apply to why HE can’t get through or why the communication can’t be completed.

GOD has many ways of speaking to us but some of us may have not experienced hearing from GOD because of barriers that we may not be aware of, barriers that move us out of the area of the towers.   

If we’re honest with ourselves and admit we’ve had problems hearing from GOD, we’ll be able to quickly identify our barriers.  No one knows us like we know ourselves except GOD, so for any of us to ignore the signs of the barriers that are blocking our hearing would be a mistake.  This is one of those times we should be hard on ourselves because this is serious business.

We’ll start with the culprit that we’ve all had at one time or another in our lives.  DOUBT: doubt is one of the most common reasons we can’t hear from GOD. We want to hear GOD’s voice so badly that we at times do hear HIM accurately, and at other times, we may be mistaken or have doubt that it’s really GOD speaking, leading, guiding.  Have you ever came up with an idea thinking you’ve heard from GOD only to find out later that it was all you and not GOD?  So where was the error in communication?  It had to be in the hearing.  Doubt is common, even in the believer.  But we can’t let doubt hinder our communication and remain an obstacle to our connecting and staying connected to the towers.  Biblically we’re held accountable for our doubt, Zechariah is a prime example of our accountability.  He was visited by the angel of the Lord and told that he would have a son (Luke 1:11-17), he doubted the word given to him assuming that his wife was too old and because he doubted the angel said he would be mute until the day God’s promise was fulfilled (Luke 1:18-20).  When GOD speaks and we doubt HIM the communication is broken.  Gideon, on the other hand, didn’t doubt that GOD would speak; he doubted that GOD would speak to him.  Why would GOD want to speak to him?  So he asked for signs from GOD to make sure.  Every child of GOD is a somebody, there’s no such thing as a nobody.  Gideon felt he was a nobody and therefore he doubted what he’d heard.  Why would GOD want to use him?

But there have been other times that GOD was trying to speak to us, we knew it, but ignored it because of FEAR.  Fear of allowing GOD to take control.  Fear of release.  Fear of coming out of our comfort zone to do what GOD was calling us to do.  Fear that we’re not good enough to be used.  Fear of the unknown or the outcome.  Fear shouldn’t become a barrier that blocks us from hearing GOD.  The words “fear not” is used 365 times in the Bible.  It’s no coincidence that there are 365 days in the year.  Every single day of our lives we should wake up in the morning saying “fear not.”

A CLOSED MIND is another hindrance in hearing from GOD.  We get so stuck on ourselves, our way of doing things that we don’t want to hear anything that doesn’t line up with how we think.  This type of thinking gets us nowhere and it eventually severs relationships that can’t be repaired.  And GOD can’t get through this barrier to have that conversation that just may change your life.  We must have opened minds to receive the communication.

One of the biggest hindrances is PRIDE.  We want to be in control and stay in control.  We don’t want GOD to take control or become the captain of our ship because we don’t know where HE’s taking us, the path or direction HE has in mind.  We’d rather control our lives and situations on our own power.  Pride does indeed go before a fall as the saying goes; I’ve witnessed this among many people in high places.  But this can also happen to us if we’re not careful.

Here’s another favorite hindrance: REBELLION.  We refuse to follow what we know GOD wants us to do, live our lives according to HIS standards or do what we know is pleasing to GOD.  We want to do things our way.  Our way or no way.  We take the high road and don’t look back.  We don’t care about the consequences as long as we get our way.  How silly is this?  Having an attitude of GOD’s not the GOD of me, because of a rebellious heart, will only cause self- destruction.  It definitely won’t facilitate communication.

We beg and plead and cry out for GOD to speak to us and when HE does we turn a deaf ear.   We act like spoiled brats full of rebellion.  The whole Old Testament shows years of GOD’s wrath brought about because of rebellious people.  Our rebellious attitude will not move GOD to do what we want.  HE doesn’t cater to us and our whims and history shows that GOD will not tolerate a rebellious heart.

These are just a few hindrances that block us from hearing GOD.  The communication lines are always open, the towers remain in place, they’ve not moved.  If we’re having problems hearing from GOD it’s because we’ve moved out of range of the tower.  GOD, is the creator of all things including words, HE continues to speak therefore any inability to hear HIM is on our part. 

What is keeping you from hearing from GOD?  Examine yourself.  I can tell you at one time in my life I was guilty of most of these.  Pride was a big one for me, fear was second place.  But one day, my heart was transformed, my life was no longer my own and I had to surrender everything that stood between me and GOD.  Because of this transformation HE trusts me to share HIS heart, these inspired blogs with you.  If I couldn’t hear from HIM my life would be meaningless. 

I must say this, once you open yourself up to hearing from GOD whether it’s audibly, through HIS word, through another believer or through visions and dreams, be ready to hear things you’ve longed to hear as well as things you need to hear but you necessarily don’t want to hear.  This is a package deal; you don’t get to pick and choose what HE says.

Even today as you read this blog GOD is in the heavenlies saying “can you hear me now?”  This is the time to stop accepting dropped calls or interrupted, delayed communication and begin to remove those barriers and say “speak LORD.”

GOD BLESS

The Dash in the Middle

September 16, 2014

In our lifetime there are two dates assigned to us the date of our birth and the date of our death. There is no greater reminder of this than that of the dates seen on headstones. The dates are very significant because they show our time here on earth, but they are not the most significant things. When you look at a headstone there’s a little thing in the middle between the birth date and the date of our homegoing, you’ll find more significance in the dash than the dates. As small as the dash is the significance and representation of the dash between those two dates require our attention which brings me to the reason and focus of this blog.

You see, the dash in between our date of birth and the date of our death represents the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that we’ve lived. It also represents how we've lived, what we did with our lives, the good and the bad, how our time was spent and if we spent it well.

I use to hear an old saying “That’s my life in a nutshell”. And it wasn’t until I was writing this blog that the saying came back to me and if you think about it a nut shell isn’t that big, so anyone who uses that as a description of their life has very little to say about their life, their contributions or their impact. But no one has ever said that’s my life in the dash.

If you look at the stories in the Bible the main characters of the Bible, men and women from Abraham to David and from David to JESUS had events, trials, tribulations, sacrifices and victories that formed their dash. Their life’s testimonies still ring true today and are guides for us to live by. They didn’t lead lives in nutshells they lived fearless, dedicated, committed, obedient lives that were bigger than life and that has impacted the world for thousands of years and will continue to impact the world until the end of time.

The dash is priceless. It’s more important than the dates because it contains our memories, our victories, our milestones, our proud moments, our career achievements, our repentance and our personal best that we gave to GOD and man. But it also contains our inner pain and inner struggles, our defeats, our failures, our weak moments, our poor choices, our regrets, our sins and our guilt. How could something so small, as a dash, be so meaningful and hold the power to honor our lives or put a stain on our memory?

If you think the dash is meaningless, think again. Our very lives hinge on the lives we lead between those dates. No man knows the day of his/her death. James 4:14 says: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is our life? We are a mist that appears for a little while and then it vanishes.” Our lives are like a mist that vanishes into thin air. So why don’t we take that time between those dates more seriously? Why don’t we always put that time to good use? That’s a question we each have to ask and answer ourselves.

I for one know the life I’ve lead between the 1950 birth date and now, and I’m here to tell you that I’m not proud of some of the things I put in that dash. Sure those things were during my earlier years and I could make excuses that it was my childhood, my insecurities, the loss of my son and other loved ones in an instance that changed my life forever or any other event in my life that may have caused me to make a poor decision. And yes, these things did play into some of the reasons I did the things, I did. But then GOD came into my dash and when I finally understood the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness HE had for me, my dash began to mean something. I became more determined to live my life instead of letting it waste away. That dash began to give me a sense of worth and meaning that forever changed my life and the lives of those around me. GOD began to restore me, mold me and shape me into the child of GOD that I am proud to be today.

The transformation that has taken place over the past 24 years and has put a dash behind my date of birth has me convinced that at the end of my dash I will have touched many lives and have planted many seeds for CHRIST. I believe that at the end of my dash, the life I lived for CHRIST will be honored because I live to honor GOD. I haven’t lived a perfect life but I have lived a purposeful life. As I’m crying and finishing writing this blog, I’m humble to know that this blog and the words, inspired by GOD, are one of the most cherished acts of service and accomplishments in my dash. 

There’s something about being used by GOD that has brought tears to my eyes on many days. HE could have chosen anyone but HE chose me.

If you’re reading this blog you’re still among the living and you have time to make any adjustments that you need to in your dash. Life is tough even on a good day but a bad day in CHRIST is better than a good day without HIM on any day. Your life, my life needs that dash to serve as a testimony to the goodness of GOD. The one thing we have as CHRISTIANS is peace in knowing that at the very end of the dash and the date of our death is our eternal reward.

Our life’s story, regardless of what is, or what it has been, has left some sparkle on our dash as well as some smudges, but we have a chance to do some wonderful things throughout the rest of our lives to make that dash in the middle count for something more than just a line between two dates as we strive to live a life destined for greatness all for the glory of GOD.

GOD BLESS

Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

September 10, 2014

I know when you saw the title of this blog some of you thought, “Oh my, she’s going to use the S (sex) word” and my sistas out there were probably thinking “Girlfriend has gone crazy.”

This blog and statement isn’t about sex. The abstinence that I’m referring to is the things that the world tempts us with that at times cause us to lose sight of GOD and the things of GOD and we begin to think and act in ways that aren’t pleasing to GOD. This world has a bag of tricks bigger than Lake Michigan and there’s always something in that bag of tricks that can look real good when you’ve lost your job, when the kids aren’t acting right, when your spouse is more like a roommate than the one you pledged to live the rest of your life with or when your boss is pushing every button to get you to blow your top like St. Helens. But wait, there’s more. What about when your best friend deceives you, when you look at your bank account all you see is a single zero not a number and a string of zeros but a solid, single zero? Or when the car you love and you gave a name to suddenly dies right in front of your eyes, or the tip of the slowly melting iceberg, what happens when your health begins to fail and it’s all downhill from there?

It’s easy to say we’d never have a thought or action that would intentionally grieve the heart of GOD. Any of these circumstances and others can cause a shift in our thought process, and a lapse in our faith. The enemy loves to put thoughts in our minds and cause us to hear voices that try to lead us to do just the opposite of what we know is right during our greatest time of weakness and need. That voice that tells us it’s alright to do this or that and to have pleasures in the things of the world is a voice that has every intention of causing us to think thoughts or do an action that hurts the FATHER. 

It’s not always easy to abstain from doing the things that the enemy pushes us to, but it’s necessary. 
When we abstain from thoughts and actions that troubles GOD’s heart our hearts grow fonder for the things of GOD and HIS place in our lives. GOD as all powerful as HE is has a heart that can become troubled. Genesis 6:5-6 (NIV) 5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 

From the very beginning of the world man began to trouble GOD’s heart in his evil thoughts and actions and it only took 6 chapters of the first book of the 66 books in the book of Genesis to get to a place where man turned his back on GOD and succumbed to his evil thoughts.

Evil has gone rampant it’s everywhere. There’s no nation that doesn’t have its fair share of the wickedness of man which is still great and is alive and well on the earth in 2014. Our thoughts are important to GOD. Our thoughts exhibit what controls us. This is important because wrong thoughts control actions and wrong actions become sin. Our willingness to abstain from the thoughts and actions that aren’t in line with GOD cause us to press towards the mark, keep our step, remain on track and the destined path that has been set for us. When we abstain it brings victory to us and a joy to GOD’s heart and it sets the stage for us to grow. 

Our standard in how we live has to become GOD’s standard. And we know that HIS standards are high and HE doesn’t compromise. The only way we can be victorious in abstaining from thoughts that aren’t in line with GOD’s is found in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. The answer is clear: WE TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT AND MAKE IT SUBMIT AND BECOME OBEDIENT TO CHRIST. This is abstinence in the highest degree.

Where do we start? We start in the Word. We have to have a discerning spirit to help us distinguish the thoughts that we have, find the source of those thoughts and get rid of it. The thoughts we have that aren’t in line with GOD’s thoughts can’t be left to continue to control us. Where we get into trouble is when we negotiate with our thoughts and try to make an excuse on why it’s ok. Remember this WE DON’T NEGOTIATE WITH OUR THOUGHTS. Treat any evil thought or thought not in line with GOD as if it’s a terrorist. Our thoughts terrorize us and ruin our lives and the lives of those around us if not taken captive and we all know we don’t negotiate with terrorist. Run, run, run like the wind. We must flee any evil thought that comes into our heads. We must dig deeper into spiritual things, gospel music, reading the Bible, fellowship, attending service, serving, fasting, prayer ANYTHING that keeps us busy and our hearts and minds occupied with the things of GOD. 

I believe the closer we get to GOD, the more our hearts become sensitive to the things of GOD and the things that concern GOD, the more captive we must become over our thoughts. Our thoughts must become POW’s because it clearly states in Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are at war.

So then how shall we live? We live according to the word- we know that a man acts in accordance with how he thinks. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he:” Proverbs 23:7. So let’s give that abstinence thing a chance. Let’s control of our thoughts and remove all power from the enemy.

GOD BLESS!

Bitter or Better?

8/28/14

I have been off the grid for a while but I’m very grateful to be back.  I had a health scare earlier this month but that’s not the full reason for my absence.  I wrote this blog several weeks ago, but because I was feeling a little defeated I let it just sit in my documents section.

I have been in this health care battle for a year but wasn’t quite ready to raise the white flag in full defeat all I knew was something had to change.  Prayers upon, prayers upon prayers went up by me and by intercessors and in the midst of the battle I felt like I was JOB sitting in the ashes, waiting for an answer from GOD with my faith intact, but there was no answer to be found.  I was perplexed but not in despair.  2 Corinthians 4:8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.

Everyone has a favorite Bible story and if I took a poll I’d get many different answers on what your favorite story is.  Is it the story of Esther? David & Goliath? Abraham & Sarah? Noah? or any of the numerous others we’ve read about?  But at the end of the poll count, I can say for sure without a doubt, the book of Job wouldn’t be one of the top ten.  The book of Job is like the relative that no one talks about or like the elephant in the room. The book possesses a delicate subject that no one wants to talk or think about-SUFFERING. 

On the surface, Job looks like a story of doom and groom. There is nothing heroic in his suffering, yet GOD chose to add this book to HIS word for many lessons to be learned.  Many scholars think that Job is the oldest book in the Bible. 

In our humanness we don’t want to think about sadness or suffering, loss or devastation, or illness or death.  We don’t like thinking about these things because we’d have to think about the possibility that these things could happen to us.  How many times have we turned on the news and saw something horrible that has happened and we heard someone say, “I just didn’t think this could happen to me.”

If you’d asked me 2 1/2 years ago if I thought that I’d go through my Job experience, I’d tell say you were wrong.  But it happened.  In the past 2 1/2 years my body has gone through attacks, affliction and trauma like no other time in my life.  5 hospitalizations, 2 surgeries within 4 months of each other, pain, multiple medications, multiple tests, and more medications, more pain, multiple diagnosis identified and other issues yet to be determined.   There was a time during this past year that the pain was so bad that I woke up in pain and went to bed in pain.  I couldn’t remember what it felt like not to be in pain.  All of this along with extreme fatigue and poor endurance took its toll, some of which I continue to go through.

And there’s more.  I became unemployed, all of my savings/retirement fund and my smaller rainy day fund has been exhausted, disability payments ending and then more traumas to my body, disabled for a time (year as of 9/6/14) and now still unemployed.  When Job was going through all that he went through, his friends were wondering what he’d done and was condemning him for sins they thought he’d committed.  I’m not sure what my friends are thinking or saying but I have remained faithful in my service, my tithes, my praise and worship and love for my brother.  Yet I remain in this Job experience.

I’ve cried out to GOD and have talked to HIM and like Job I am wondering, when will this end?  How long with this last?  When will I be delivered?  No answer has come yet.  I’m reminded in the midst of all of this that the Bible acknowledges that good people will suffer as the evildoers do.  We don’t get a free pass.

Why am I in this Job experience?  No one knows but GOD.  Unfortunately, suffering in all forms, is a part of life and it’s the hardest thing to understand.  The one thing I do understand is that the enemy plays a heavy role in bringing forth suffering in the lives of believers.    

When we read the story of Job we have to read it like we read the book of Revelation.  We know the end of the story there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and there’s a silver lining.  In the case of Job GOD restored to him what he’d lost.  Job at one point was angry, frustrated and was feeling down but he never cursed GOD.  He endured.  The story of Job is one that most people think of as a story of learning to become patient.  “The patience of Job” is a well-known quote but there’s an even greater lesson to be learned we have to have faith and trust GOD in the face of our trials.  Job set this example and what an example he was.    

ln being in the midst of this Job experience I’ve also chosen to continue to believe GOD.  Job was restored when he began to pray for his friends.  Job 42:10: After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.  I too have continued to pray for my friends and those in need of intercessory prayer.  There’s something about putting your circumstances on the back burner and bring to the forefront the needs of others that makes your issues insignificant. 

Job emerged victorious; he came through the darkness into the light.  There is always a key to our learning process in any spiritual trial.  Each trial gives us an opportunity to get up close and personal with GOD and to really get to know HIM, and not just get to know more about HIM.  When we go through things it’s easy to become angry and bitter, but it’s GOD’s will for us to become better.  If you’re in your Job experience or going through a trial at this time then you have a choice to make will you become bitter or better?

Oh by the way, GOD is faithful (as always), as of Tuesday, August 26^th, I am no longer unemployed.  I start work next Tuesday, 3 days a week (my choice and MD orders) using wisdom not to overtax my body.  I will be doing something I’m good at but also I will be doing something new and exciting.  I can’t wait.  I have no doubt that in GOD’s timing everything I lost will be restored including my health and I’ll be back to 5 days a week or who knows, maybe this is the time to build the dreams and visions that GOD gave me with in my Patient Advocacy division which was put on hold during this Job experience.  All I know is restoration has already begun.  Hallelujah!  Restoration can also begin for you.  KEEP THE FAITH! GREATER IS COMING.  LISTEN TO THIS.   (hold control and click with left mouse)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOfbomJQZQw

GOD BLESS.

Breaking News: “Proverbs 31 Woman Missing”

7/28/14

If we woke up in the morning to a breaking news story saying, “Michele Obama is missing”, the world would be in shock and unbelief wondering how could this happen?  Many people would be in prayer for her safe return and those with little or no faith would begin to talk about the type of woman she was, her character, her work with child obesity and the things she did behind the scenes.  And it’s also safe to say that every news channel and every available form of media would run the story day in and day out until she was safely returned. 

I recently was prompted by an article that I was reading to revisit Proverbs 31:10-31.  As I began to read it I realized this woman was like the superwoman of Biblical times and the poster child for present day Biblical truths.  These verses speak of how a woman of GOD is to be in her marriage, as a mother, in her home, in the marketplace and her place in the community.

As I continued reading these verses, I wondered how can a woman, any woman, do all of these things and do them in excellence?   Do them for a lifetime and a lifestyle?  And do them willingly without complaint? There was a consistent lifestyle, pattern and daily walk that this woman was to faithfully live according to the word of GOD. 

I was born in 1950; my grandmother had a principal role in raising me for the first 12 years of my life.  My grandmother was a Proverbs 31 woman.  She lived those verses in excellence without complaint and I always saw her respect, honor and encourage my grandfather, her husband of 35 years (by 1962) prior to her death in 1963.  There’s not one action in those verses that I didn’t see in my grandmother.  She was the spiritual matriarch of the family.

If we reflect back to the 50’s we’ll see most women of that era portrayed in TV shows like Ozzie & Harriett, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, Leave It To Beaver, etc. had women that could be perceived as close as you could get to a virtuous women.   As I am writing this it came to mind that there were lessons to be learned through these TV series.  But even as early as the 60’s the tide began to change and society began to see these women as being too submissive, too domestic, too quiet, too accepting, etc.  And then came Norma Rae in 1979, Working 9-5 in 1980, Baby Boomer in 1987, Working Girl in 1988 and First Wives Club in 1996 and we saw a whole new breed of women who were strong, independent and not the traditional matriarchs.  Many of these new breed of women felt they didn’t need a man and could gain success on their own.  These women made the women, mothers and wives of the early 50’s TV series look like domesticated, submissive, stepford wives and we soon saw the picture of the virtuous woman slowly disappear.

My grandmother was an inspiration to me, she is the one who planted the seed and introduced me to JESUS at the early age of 2 through Sunday school and her home teaching of CHRIST.  Because of my grandmother I learned as a woman how to dress, how to look, present myself as a child of GOD.

These corny TV shows were a vehicle used to show us women of honor, women of virtue and what a virtuous woman could look like.  Throughout my life there has been certain aspect of my life that has mirrored my grandmother’s teachings and character.  Things that I have kept close to my heart all these years especially when it comes how I look and dress as a child of GOD.  I’ve continued to realize how the relationship my grandmother has molded me into the best of who I am.  I always thought the memories that I took away from our relationship were the memories of us cooking and baking together, canning and making preserves, gardening, watching her sew, knit and crochet.  Listening to her singing hymns as she cooked or cleaned.  Our watching Kathryn Koolman, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Loretta Young and Bishop Fulton Sheen.  The best times of my life were the years I spent with my grandmother just being in her presence and I’ve thought fondly of each memory and have even tried to share similar experiences with my own grandaughters.  But I now realize the treasure that I should have clung to were the memories of the Proverbs 31 woman that I saw throughout her life. She was always consistent, never compromising and always a disciplined follower of CHRIST. 

The world has kidnapped and hasn’t returned the Proverbs 31 woman.  She has been removed through social interaction, dysfunctional family issues, divorce, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, abandonment issues, social media, television, movies, music and any other way that you can diminish a person’s character.  She has been missing for years and we’ve made little or no effort to get her back because we’ve conformed to the type of woman that the world dictates.  But NO MORE.  Those of us who are children of GOD have the responsibility of being a part of the search and rescue team that brings her back into our lives as well as the lives of other women.  How do we do this?  As single or married women we must continue to develop characteristics that mold us into the Proverbs 31 woman.  Our pursuit of excellence, service to GOD and our vow to become self-sufficient, obedient care-takers of our homes and GOD fearing women has to be renewed. 

We are capable of being all that GOD has intended us to be.  By faith we are strengthened to steward and maintain our households as GOD desires and care for our family and community.  The fear of GOD is where the search ends and the Proverbs 31 woman can be found. 

We all should read Proverbs 31 and be in search of the Proverbs 31 woman in us and then work towards the goal of full manifestation even if it takes one virtue at a time to attain it.  The breaking news story in our homes, marketplaces, churches, neighborhoods should soon read “ Proverbs 31 Woman Found Alive and Well.”  It all starts with you.  GOD BLESS

To Be or Not To Be That Is The Question.

7/14/14

There are many things that we do that are easy in life.  Going to church may be one of the easiest things we can do.  We wake up, get ready, drive to the church, enter the doors, we are greeted and we greet others, we participate in praise and worship, sing, and in some cases dance, contribute through our tithes and offerings, hear the message, pray, fellowship after church and go home.  How easy is that?

Now, let’s flip the coin.  How easy is it to be the church?  Yes, I will ask it again.  How easy is it to be the church?  NOT SO EASY because of our mindset.  If you ask anyone what is the church?  This is the response you may get: a place or location where you worship.  And then there’s the ultimate questions we ask one another “Where do you attend church?” or “Where do you go to church?” or “What church do you belong to?” or “Where is your church?”  We’ve all been asked one or more of these questions and have also asked them.  How did we get so far off track?

The CHRISTIAN faith from the very beginning was never about a building.  It was and is always about the love that we have in our hearts and that CHRISTLIKE spirit that is needed to keep that light shining and that salt in the earth.  Personally I think at times we give too much emphasis on the building and less emphasis on our discipleship and our role.  The church has never been the building but for some reason we can’t seem to get it.  Maybe this will help clear the air.  In the Bible the word church is a Greek word ekklesia, translated means "a calling out." There’s nothing that refers to a building, structure or a place to meet in the Bible, but the Bible always refers to the people as the people "called out" of the world by our God who is constantly calling HIS people into service. The church that the Bible speaks of isn’t a building with a foundation, walls and a roof.  The church of the Bible isn’t a cold building made of brick and mortar or stone or any other man made material.  The church in the Bible is about compassionate people, loving people who are chosen by GOD to show GOD’s love and spread the good news.

The church that JESUS envisioned is a church of people and for the people regardless where they meet.  For example, the apostle Paul greeted the church—the congregation of people—that met in the house of Priscilla and Aquila in Rome (Romans: 16:3-5 Greet Priscilla^[a] and Aquila, my co-workers in CHRIST JESUS ⁴ They risked their lives for me.  Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. ⁵ Greet also the church that meets at their house.  JESUS HIMSELF confirms the church is the people.  When Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you that you are Peter,^[a and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[b] will not overcome it.”  JESUS was clear; the church was the people, HIS chosen people, and the CHRISTIAN movement would never die and over 2,000 years later the church lives.  For centuries doctrines and man-made practices have confused people.  So how did we get here?  And how do we get back to what the church was meant to be?

JESUS said HIS church would not die.  Matthew 16:18 (see the verse above).  GOD has been calling HIS people out of the world, into HIS church to do a work.  To really be the church all we have to do is be the salt of the earth.  Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”  As the salt of the earth we are to be a preservative and preserve the world from evil.  And to be the church we have to be the light of the world.  Matthew 5:4¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” We continuously shine for everyone to see and are the light in a dark world we are showing others how we live as CHRIST lived and unconditionally love as CHRIST loved.  

The world is literally dying a spiritual death right before our eyes.  We’re in a world of the walking dead.  Broken, hurting people in need of hope.  When was the last time we’ve encouraged a total stranger?  Opened our arms to comfort someone?  Sacrificed our nail appointment to provide a meal, or clothes or shoes to someone in need? When was the last time we smiled at the least of these and looked past their visual appearance and looked at the story behind the face?  We all have a story and we all have a testimony but we chose not to share either our story or testimony with those who are desperate to know that they are not the only one who is in their situation.   

What is it going to take for us to follow JESUS in the 21^st century like the disciples followed HIM over 2,000 years ago?  There are still miracles to be done, dreams to be had, visions to be seen and prayers to be answered.  Let’s turn our hearts and our focus off the things and the cares of this world, focus on the great commission and be the church.  It’s hard to be the church because it takes discipline, commitment, steadfastness, giving of ourselves, keeping an open mind and heart, maybe forsaking family or friends, giving up our lives as we know it and dying to ourselves so we can show someone how to live for CHRIST.  The stakes are high.  We can’t let going to church and being on this committee and that ministry be our legacy, otherwise we can add those things to the list of meaningless things spoken of in Ecclesiastes 1-5.  But if we become the church, begin to touch lives so JESUS can change lives, show someone the real image of GOD and the love of CHRIST then and only then will what we do become meaningful and become the most important role we’ll ever have this side of heaven. 

LET’S BE THE CHURCH-we have no time to tarry.  Darkness is everywhere while light is barely present.  It’s time to turn on our lights on everywhere we go.  Matthew 5:16 (NIV)  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

 GOD BLESS!

GOD’S HOLDING PATTERN

6/9/14

Most of us have been on a plane at one time or another during our lifetime.  The thought of travel is always exciting to get away from home, experience a new adventure, visit family and friends or just to relax.

There is one thing I think we can all agree on is the fact that the air traffic control is the most critical parts of the equation in air travel.  The air traffic controllers are responsible for coordinating the takeoff, in-flight progress of the plane and the landing.

Although we may love to fly there’s always a chance that we’ll be on a plane that will have a hold. Holding is when a plane has a holding fix and waits for clearance to land.  A holding pattern is a predetermined maneuver designed solely to keep the plane within a specified airspace. It is a state of being inactive or no change. 

Presently there are many of GOD’s children who are in a holding pattern, including myself, waiting for clearance to land.  We were on course, some of us doing well and others doing not so well and now we find ourselves in a holding pattern waiting for our air traffic controller (GOD) to clear us for landing.

I’ve been in a holding pattern for the past 3 years in different areas of my life and I will be the first to admit that being in a holding pattern isn’t the easiest place to be.  There are too many variables and questions and let’s not mention the requirement of patience and longsuffering.  

Holding patterns are not timed events.  We don’t know when we’re going to enter into a holding pattern or when we’ll come out of it.  There’s no warning, we’re going along with our lives minding our own business, following our dream or our blueprint of what we want our life to be, we set goals and timelines and then out of the blue we’re forced into a holding pattern where it feels like a lifetime of waiting to be cleared to land, cleared to continue on our journey, and to get on with our lives.

Since a holding pattern is a predetermined maneuver (by GOD) then anyone who is in a holding pattern has to realize that we have no control over the maneuver.   GOD’s got this.

So while we’re waiting for our clearance to land GOD is saying: "MY child you’re at a different altitude but it’s your attitude and your pride that has to be broken and adjusted." " MY child I’VE been chasing you for years calling you to service, yet the more I chase you the faster you run." " MY child, your heart for the things of GOD needs to be changed; you lack compassion and love for others and you refuse to serve." " MY child your love for the things of this world and status exceed your love for ME." "MY child I’VE been trying to have a conversation with you for some time but you’re always too busy to listen."  "MY child the choices that you’re making aren’t in line with MY will and purpose for your life." "MY child, I’m working things out in heaven to soon be manifest on earth for your promotion to a new level in ME, be patient it is on its way."  "Until you are transformed in these areas I can’t permit you to land."  There are some people who keep circling and circling and circling while in their holding pattern and never are permitted to land.  Because they just won't surrender.

Some of our holding patterns are caused by our own disobedience, resistance to change, hardened hearts or unteachable spirits.  Others are caused by other people in our lives who are purposely holding us back.  And some are caused by reasons and circumstances we have no control over.  But the best holding pattern to be in is the one where GOD is preparing us for the next season and the next level in HIM. 

In all these areas as well as others not mentioned here, GOD allows us to hover and wait in a holding pattern for a season of spiritual growth or adjustment.  The one thing about whatever holding pattern we’re in, this maneuver by GOD that put us in a holding pattern has definitely gotten our attention.  And when it gets to this point there’s nothing for us to do but believe HE knows what’s best and remain obedient in our faith and praise HIM anyhow.  In our praising HIM remember this:  The holding pattern we’re in has a purpose.  The holding pattern we’re in has a plan.  And last but not least, the holding pattern has a process. 

Deuteronomy 32:11-12 ESV: 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, 12  the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him

These verses tell us that GOD is a disturber, a developer and a deliverer.  HE will disturb our lives and put us in a holding pattern in order for us to become developed in areas that HE requires for service and spiritual growth and then HE finally delivers us by giving us what we’ve been longing to hear “YOU’RE CLEAR TO LAND” but only in HIS timing.  Prior to our landing there may be a few bumps in the road or difficulties.  HE may close some doors to open others; GOD has plans for us that most often don’t align with ours. We either obey or defy and either fly like an eagle or die a spiritual death.

Our spiritual growth as children of GOD is always dependent on GOD disturbing us, developing us and delivering us.  We’re wired to fly by HIS strength beneath our wings as HE swoops beneath us and catches us on HIS pinions.  HE is perfecting us to be the person we are meant to be in CHRIST.   Get ready to hear “YOU’RE cleared for landing." When we finally embrace this truth then we will see HIS glory on earth in ways we couldn’t ever imagine.  We shouldn’t be too eager to come out of the holding pattern and land too soon or we may crash and burn. 

GOD BLESS!

NO For the Greater YES

5/27/14

A few weeks ago I was watching a trailer of a movie, like I often do to find and acquire movies for my Christian movie ministry.  I was writing a blog draft as I watched and listened to the trailer.  As I was writing I heard a series words that caused me to stop what I was doing and pay attention to what was being said.  Why?  Because these words gave me a revelation that was well overdue.  It felt as though my heart stopped beating and quickly restarted once the words were heard.

The focus of the movie (true story) is about a young terminally ill woman.  The young woman, her family, and the whole town were praying for her healing.  For a time things looked like their prayers had been answered, she was in remission, doing well and serving GOD to the highest degree in missions work but then there was a sudden change and it became obvious to her and somewhat a denial for others that she was indeed going to die.  Her faith kept her hopeful but as time passed she began to surrender to what she knew was the inevitable.

This synopsis of the movie isn’t what shook me, but when the young lady said these words, “When GOD says NO it’s because there’s a greater YES in the future”  an ah ha moment took over and I began to see things differently.  After hearing these words, I had no choice but to do a life review and I began to replay in my mind the times when GOD said NO and the significance and impact of HIS decision on my life.

Some of the most heartbreaking NO’s in my life were the most damaging to my spirit.  One of the most significant times in my life when GOD said NO was during a time when my whole world began to crumble beneath me due to a great personal loss.  My best friend, her unborn child, one of her other daughters and my 15 month old son were in an auto accident in 1976.  I drove upon my friend’s car on my way home from work and knowing she had my son with her I was frantic.  My son’s heart stopped several times. As I looked around me it was like a scene from a movie their bodies had been thrown from the car and now were bruised and broken and being transported to the closest medical facility.  I was in shock.  This couldn’t be happening.  This had to be a dream or a hellish nightmare but unfortunately it was real.  I found myself in an emergency room in such emotional pain and agony that I felt I wouldn’t survive.  My son’s condition was grave, his tiny skull had been crushed and if he lived he’d be a vegetable.  Surgery was immediately scheduled to release the pressure on his brain.  I began crying out to GOD, begging, pleading with GOD and it was during my last resort, as I was in the process of bargaining with GOD, that my NO came.  My son died within four and a half hours of his arrival to the hospital never regaining consciousness or having the surgery.

This happened a week before Christmas, I was angry at GOD and even went so far to say I hated GOD because HE said NO.  My best friend, her unborn child, one of her daughters and my son were taken from me forever.

During my life review the greater YES was exposed and I found myself seeing the validity of those words which are also true of GOD’s character.  If you think about the characters in the Bible those with the greatest impact for the kingdom were people to whom GOD said NO. 

When we’re going through our life’s journey and GOD says NO, whether it is to the degree of my NO or a lesser degree, we must remember that there is a greater YES in the future for HIS glory.  We can’t see the plans and purposes of GOD, there’s no snapshot for us to see of the greater YES so this too is one of those mysteries about GOD that we aren’t privileged to.  Therefore, by faith we must trust it to be true.  If HE says NO there is a reason unknown to us but known to GOD.

My greater YES came much later as I was silently drafted into a life of marketplace ministry in the workplace.  I was placed on the front lines of the onset of the AIDS outbreak in 1981 and for many years that followed in order for me to show GOD’s love and compassion to those affected.  I started a women's ministry out of my home and that blessed the community in many ways.  I later was called and instructed to host prayer breakfasts bringing competitors in the health care industry together to fellowship and support one another.  In my most recent years I've had the privilege to minister through the prayer and altar ministry at my church and in February, 2014 my territory continued to expand through the starting of my Christian movie outreach ministry.  This blog site is one of the greatest in the YES category because GOD has continuously touched lives, week after week, in 9 countries and the USA since the first post on December 6, 2013.  These YES moments have set me on a path to walk boldly in my destiny, one that I couldn’t ever imagine. 

GOD has used me in so many ways and venues to touch lives on HIS behalf that although my loss and my NO was devastating, over time the results have proven the YES in my past, and the YES in my present have been indeed for the greater YES and the greater good.   The comfort in all of this is knowing that one day, when my work is done, I will see my son and my GOD face to face.

Be encouraged, when GOD says NO lift up your eyes towards GOD and look forward to the greater YES in your future for HIS glory, honor and praise.  There is where you will find the help you need until your YES arrives. 

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

GOD bless.